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Enlarge / During the recent California wild fires, there were several reports of drones interfering with firefighting attempts. (credit: Photo by Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Switzerland is on the cusp of becoming the first country to formally integrate drones into the air traffic management system that controls its airspace. The limited integration is the first to be launched under a broader European initiative called U-space, which seeks to create a digital infrastructure that would allow millions of small drones to safely operate beyond line-of-sight in approved airspace….

The U.K.’s leading air traffic services provider has partnered with a drone traffic management solutions firm to build a system that safely integrates the flying machines in the skies, paving the way for deliveries by drone. The post Amazon-style drone deliveries come a step closer for U.K View original article at Digital Trends

There have been hundreds of reported near misses involving commercial aircraft and hobbyist drones to date. Now, thanks to Britain’s national air traffic control provider, we can visualize the disruption that these near misses cause.London’s Gatwick airport closed its runway for two separate periods on July 2 after a possible drone was reported flying in the vicinity of the runway’s final approach path, disrupting flights well into the night.The incident’s effects are demonstrated in this video, published by the UK’s air traffic control service provider NATS, showing the…

Amazon is investing much time and money in its Prime Air drone, which it one day hopes will deliver packages to customers in under 30 minutes. Flying out of the line of sight of an operator is still a major issue, though a recent FAA decision offers hope. The post Amazon’s delivery drone team will like the sound of this significant FAA decision appeared first on Digital Trends. View original article at Digital Trends

Commercial aviation was born in the later years of World War I, and so too was the need for air traffic control. With a sudden post-war excess of military aircraft, Britain and France began converting their light, reliable bombers into mail planes. Consequently, air traffic density all of a sudden became an imminent hazard, a congested airscape whose danger peaked in 1922, when a Farman Goliath and a De Havilland DH-18 collided 60 nautical miles north of Paris, killing all on board. Regulators and authorities responded by instituting…